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1 ΒΗΛ ΚΑΙ ΔΡΑΚΩΝ (Θ)BEL (THEODOTION) - Brenton|RSVReference
 
1Καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς Ἀστυάγης προσετέθη πρὸς τοὺς πατέρας αὐτοῦ, καὶ παρέλαβεν Κῦρος ὁ Πέρσης τὴν βασιλείαν αὐτοῦ. When King Astyages was laid with his fathers, Cyrus the Persian received his kingdom. BEL AND THE DRAGON. Daniel & the priests of Bel. Bel(Θ).1.1-22
2καὶ ἦν Δανιηλ συμβιωτὴς τοῦ βασιλέως καὶ ἔνδοξος ὑπὲρ πάντας τοὺς φίλους αὐτοῦ. And Daniel was a companion of the king, and was the most honoured of his friends.  
3καὶ ἦν εἴδωλον τοῖς Βαβυλωνίοις, ᾧ ὄνομα Βηλ, καὶ ἐδαπανῶντο εἰς αὐτὸν ἑκάστης ἡμέρας σεμιδάλεως ἀρτάβαι δώδεκα καὶ πρόβατα τεσσαράκοντα καὶ οἴνου μετρηταὶ ἕξ. Now the Babylonians had an idol called Bel, and every day they spent on it twelve bushels of fine flour and forty sheep and fifty gallons of wine.  
4καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐσέβετο αὐτὸν καὶ ἐπορεύετο καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν προσκυνεῖν αὐτῷ· Δανιηλ δὲ προσεκύνει τῷ θεῷ αὐτοῦ. The king revered it and went every day to worship it. But Daniel worshipped his own God.  
5καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ ὁ βασιλεύς Διὰ τί οὐ προσκυνεῖς τῷ Βηλ; ὁ δὲ εἶπεν Ὅτι οὐ σέβομαι εἴδωλα χειροποίητα, ἀλλὰ τὸν ζῶντα θεὸν τὸν κτίσαντα τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν καὶ ἔχοντα πάσης σαρκὸς κυριείαν. And the king said to him, "Why do you not worship Bel?" He answered, "Because I do not revere man-made idols, but the living God, who created heaven and earth and has dominion over all flesh."  
6καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ ὁ βασιλεύς Οὐ δοκεῖ σοι Βηλ εἶναι ζῶν θεός; ἦ οὐχ ὁρᾷς ὅσα ἐσθίει καὶ πίνει καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν; The king said to him, "Do you not think that Bel is a living God? Do you not see how much he eats and drinks every day?" 
7καὶ εἶπεν Δανιηλ γελάσας Μὴ πλανῶ, βασιλεῦ· οὗτος γὰρ ἔσωθεν μέν ἐστι πηλὸς ἔξωθεν δὲ χαλκὸς καὶ οὐ βέβρωκεν οὐδὲ πέπωκεν πώποτε. Then Daniel laughed, and said, "Do not be deceived, O king; for this is but clay inside and brass outside, and it never ate or drank anything."  
8καὶ θυμωθεὶς ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐκάλεσεν τοὺς ἱερεῖς αὐτοῦ καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς Ἑὰν μὴ εἴπητέ μοι τίς ὁ κατέσθων τὴν δαπάνην ταύτην, ἀποθανεῖσθε· ἐὰν δὲ δείξητε ὅτι Βηλ κατεσθίει αὐτά, ἀποθανεῖται Δανιηλ, ὅτι ἐβλασφήμησεν εἰς τὸν Βηλ. Then the king was angry, and he called his priests and said to them, "If you do not tell me who is eating these provisions, you shall die.  
9καὶ εἶπεν Δανιηλ τῷ βασιλεῖ Γινέσθω κατὰ τὸ ῥῆμά σου. καὶ ἦσαν ἱερεῖς τοῦ Βηλ ἑβδομήκοντα ἐκτὸς γυναικῶν καὶ τέκνων. But if you prove that Bel is eating them, Daniel shall die, because he blasphemed against Bel." And Daniel said to the king, "Let it be done as you have said." 
10καὶ ἦλθεν ὁ βασιλεὺς μετὰ Δανιηλ εἰς τὸν οἶκον τοῦ Βηλ. Now there were seventy priests of Bel, besides their wives and children. And the king went with Daniel into the temple of Bel.  
11καὶ εἶπαν οἱ ἱερεῖς τοῦ Βηλ Ἰδοὺ ἡμεῖς ἀποτρέχομεν ἔξω, σὺ δέ, βασιλεῦ, παράθες τὰ βρώματα καὶ τὸν οἶνον κεράσας θὲς καὶ ἀπόκλεισον τὴν θύραν καὶ σφράγισον τῷ δακτυλίῳ σου· καὶ ἐλθὼν πρωῒ ἐὰν μὴ εὕρῃς πάντα βεβρωμένα ὑπὸ τοῦ Βηλ, ἀποθανούμεθα ἢ Δανιηλ ὁ ψευδόμενος καθ' ἡμῶν. And the priests of Bel said, "Behold, we are going outside; you yourself, O king, shall set forth the food and mix and place the wine, and shut the door and seal it with your signet.  
12αὐτοὶ δὲ κατεφρόνουν, ὅτι πεποιήκεισαν ὑπὸ τὴν τράπεζαν κεκρυμμένην εἴσοδον καὶ δι' αὐτῆς εἰσεπορεύοντο διόλου καὶ ἀνήλουν αὐτά. And when you return in the morning, if you do not find that Bel has eaten it all, we will die; or else Daniel will, who is telling lies about us."  
13καὶ ἐγένετο ὡς ἐξήλθοσαν ἐκεῖνοι, καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς παρέθηκεν τὰ βρώματα τῷ Βηλ. They were unconcerned, for beneath the table they had made a hidden entrance, through which they used to go in regularly and consume the provisions.  
14καὶ ἐπέταξεν Δανιηλ τοῖς παιδαρίοις αὐτοῦ καὶ ἤνεγκαν τέφραν καὶ κατέσησαν ὅλον τὸν ναὸν ἐνώπιον τοῦ βασιλέως μόνου· καὶ ἐξελθόντες ἔκλεισαν τὴν θύραν καὶ ἐσφραγίσαντο ἐν τῷ δακτυλίῳ τοῦ βασιλέως, καὶ ἀπῆλθον. When they had gone out, the king set forth the food for Bel. Then Daniel ordered his servants to bring ashes and they sifted them throughout the whole temple in the presence of the king alone. Then they went out, shut the door and sealed it with the king's signet, and departed.  
15οἱ δὲ ἱερεῖς ἦλθον τὴν νύκτα κατὰ τὸ ἔθος αὐτῶν καὶ αἱ γυναῖκες καὶ τὰ τέκνα αὐτῶν καὶ κατέφαγον πάντα καὶ ἐξέπιον. In the night the priests came with their wives and children, as they were accustomed to do, and ate and drank everything.  
16καὶ ὤρθρισεν ὁ βασιλεὺς τὸ πρωῒ καὶ Δανιηλ μετ' αὐτοῦ. Early in the morning the king rose and came, and Daniel with him.  
17καὶ εἶπεν ὁ βασιλεύς Σῷοι αἱ σφραγῖδες, Δανιηλ; ὁ δὲ εἶπεν Σῷοι, βασιλεῦ. And the king said, "Are the seals unbroken, Daniel?" He answered, "They are unbroken, O king."  
18καὶ ἐγένετο ἅμα τῷ ἀνοῖξαι τὰς θύρας ἐπιβλέψας ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐπὶ τὴν τράπεζαν ἐβόησεν φωνῇ μεγάλῃ Μέγας εἶ, Βηλ, καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν παρὰ σοὶ δόλος οὐδὲ εἷς. As soon as the doors were opened, the king looked at the table, and shouted in a loud voice, "You are great, O Bel; and with you there is no deceit, none at all."  
19καὶ ἐγέλασεν Δανιηλ καὶ ἐκράτησεν τὸν βασιλέα τοῦ μὴ εἰσελθεῖν αὐτὸν ἔσω καὶ εἶπεν Ἰδὲ δὴ τὸ ἔδαφος καὶ γνῶθι τίνος τὰ ἴχνη ταῦτα. Then Daniel laughed, and restrained the king from going in, and said, "Look at the floor, and notice whose footsteps these are."  
20καὶ εἶπεν ὁ βασιλεύς Ὁρῶ τὰ ἴχνη ἀνδρῶν καὶ γυναικῶν καὶ παιδίων. The king said, "I see the footsteps of men and women and children."  
21καὶ ὀργισθεὶς ὁ βασιλεὺς τότε συνέλαβεν τοὺς ἱερεῖς καὶ τὰς γυναῖκας καὶ τὰ τέκνα αὐτῶν, καὶ ἔδειξαν αὐτῷ τὰς κρυπτὰς θύρας, δι' ὧν εἰσεπορεύοντο καὶ ἐδαπάνων τὰ ἐπὶ τῇ τραπέζῃ. Then the king was enraged, and he seized the priests and their wives and children; and they showed him the secret doors through which they were accustomed to enter and devour what was on the table.  
22καὶ ἀπέκτεινεν αὐτοὺς ὁ βασιλεὺς καὶ ἔδωκεν τὸν Βηλ ἔκδοτον τῷ Δανιηλ, καὶ κατέστρεψεν αὐτὸν καὶ τὸ ἱερὸν αὐτοῦ. Therefore the king put them to death, and gave Bel over to Daniel, who destroyed it and its temple.  
23Καὶ ἦν δράκων μέγας, καὶ ἐσέβοντο αὐτὸν οἱ Βαβυλώνιοι. There was also a great dragon, which the Babylonians revered. Daniel kills the dragon. Bel(Θ).1.23-32
24καὶ εἶπεν ὁ βασιλεὺς τῷ Δανιηλ Οὐ δύνασαι εἰπεῖν ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν οὗτος θεὸς ζῶν· καὶ προσκύνησον αὐτῷ. And the king said to Daniel, "You cannot deny that this is a living god; so worship him."  
25καὶ εἶπεν Δανιηλ Κυρίῳ τῷ θεῷ μου προσκυνήσω, ὅτι οὗτός ἐστιν θεὸς ζῶν· σὺ δέ, βασιλεῦ, δός μοι ἐξουσίαν, καὶ ἀποκτενῶ τὸν δράκοντα ἄνευ μαχαίρας καὶ ῥάβδου. Daniel said, "I will worship the Lord my God, for he is the living God.  
26καὶ εἶπεν ὁ βασιλεύς Δίδωμί σοι. But if you, O king, will give me permission, I will slay the dragon without sword or club." The king said, "I give you permission."  
27καὶ ἔλαβεν Δανιηλ πίσσαν καὶ στῆρ καὶ τρίχας καὶ ἥψησεν ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ καὶ ἐποίησεν μάζας καὶ ἔδωκεν εἰς τὸ στόμα τοῦ δράκοντος, καὶ φαγὼν διερράγη ὁ δράκων. καὶ εἶπεν Ἴδετε τὰ σεβάσματα ὑμῶν. Then Daniel took pitch, fat, and hair, and boiled them together and made cakes, which he fed to the dragon. The dragon ate them, and burst open. And Daniel said, "See what you have been worshipping!"  
28καὶ ἐγένετο ὡς ἤκουσαν οἱ Βαβυλώνιοι, ἠγανάκτησαν λίαν καὶ συνεστράφησαν ἐπὶ τὸν βασιλέα καὶ εἶπαν Ιουδαῖος γέγονεν ὁ βασιλεύς· τὸν Βηλ κατέσπασεν καὶ τὸν δράκοντα ἀπέκτεινεν καὶ τοὺς ἱερεῖς κατέσφαξεν. When the Babylonians heard it, they were very indignant and conspired against the king, saying, "The king has become a Jew; he has destroyed Bel, and slain the dragon, and slaughtered the priests."  
29καὶ εἶπαν ἐλθόντες πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα Παράδος ἡμῖν τὸν Δανιηλ· εἰ δὲ μή, ἀποκτενοῦμέν σε καὶ τὸν οἶκόν σου. Going to the king, they said, "Hand Daniel over to us, or else we will kill you and your household."  
30καὶ εἶδεν ὁ βασιλεὺς ὅτι ἐπείγουσιν αὐτὸν σφόδρα, καὶ ἀναγκασθεὶς παρέδωκεν αὐτοῖς τὸν Δανιηλ. The king saw that they were pressing him hard, and under compulsion he handed Daniel over to them.  
31οἱ δὲ ἐνέβαλον αὐτὸν εἰς τὸν λάκκον τῶν λεόντων, καὶ ἦν ἐκεῖ ἡμέρας ἕξ. They threw Daniel into the lions' den, and he was there for six days.  
32ἦσαν δὲ ἐν τῷ λάκκῳ ἑπτὰ λέοντες, καὶ ἐδίδετο αὐτοῖς τὴν ἡμέραν δύο σώματα καὶ δύο πρόβατα· τότε δὲ οὐκ ἐδόθη αὐτοῖς, ἵνα καταφάγωσιν τὸν Δανιηλ. There were seven lions in the den, and every day they had been given two human bodies and two sheep; but these were not given to them now, so that they might devour Daniel.  
33καὶ ἦν Αμβακουμ ὁ προφήτης ἐν τῇ Ιουδαίᾳ, καὶ αὐτὸς ἥψησεν ἕψεμα καὶ ἐνέθρυψεν ἄρτους εἰς σκάφην καὶ ἐπορεύετο εἰς τὸ πεδίον ἀπενέγκαι τοῖς θερισταῖς. Now the prophet Habakkuk was in Judea. He had boiled pottage and had broken bread into a bowl, and was going into the field to take it to the reapers. Daniel is rescued from the lion pit. Bel(Θ).1.33-42
34καὶ εἶπεν ἄγγελος κυρίου τῷ Αμβακουμ Ἀπένεγκε τὸ ἄριστον, ὃ ἔχεις, εἰς Βαβυλῶνα τῷ Δανιηλ εἰς τὸν λάκκον τῶν λεόντων. But the angel of the Lord said to Habakkuk, "Take the dinner which you have to Babylon, to Daniel, in the lions' den."  
35καὶ εἶπεν Αμβακουμ Κύριε, Βαβυλῶνα οὐχ ἑώρακα καὶ τὸν λάκκον οὐ γινώσκω. Habakkuk said, "Sir, I have never seen Babylon, and I know nothing about the den."  
36καὶ ἐπελάβετο ὁ ἄγγελος κυρίου τῆς κορυφῆς αὐτοῦ καὶ βαστάσας τῆς κόμης τῆς κεφαλῆς αὐτοῦ ἔθηκεν αὐτὸν εἰς Βαβυλῶνα ἐπάνω τοῦ λάκκου ἐν τῷ ῥοίζῳ τοῦ πνεύματος αὐτοῦ. Then the angel of the Lord took him by the crown of his head, and lifted him by his hair and set him down in Babylon, right over the den, with the rushing sound of the wind itself.  
37καὶ ἐβόησεν Αμβακουμ λέγων Δανιηλ Δανιηλ, λαβὲ τὸ ἄριστον, ὃ ἀπέστειλέν σοι ὁ θεός. Then Habakkuk shouted, "Daniel, Daniel! Take the dinner which God has sent you."  
38καὶ εἶπεν Δανιηλ Ἑμνήσθης γάρ μου, ὁ θεός, καὶ οὐκ ἐγκατέλιπες τοὺς ἀγαπῶντάς σε. And Daniel said, "Thou hast remembered me, O God, and hast not forsaken those who love thee."  
39καὶ ἀναστὰς Δανιηλ ἔφαγεν· ὁ δὲ ἄγγελος τοῦ θεοῦ ἀπεκατέστησεν τὸν Αμβακουμ παραχρῆμα εἰς τὸν τόπον αὐτοῦ. So Daniel arose and ate. And the angel of God immediately returned Habakkuk to his own place.  
40ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς ἦλθεν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ ἑβδόμῃ πενθῆσαι τὸν Δανιηλ· καὶ ἦλθεν ἐπὶ τὸν λάκκον καὶ ἐνέβλεψεν, καὶ ἰδοὺ Δανιηλ καθήμενος. On the seventh day the king came to mourn for Daniel. When he came to the den he looked in, and there sat Daniel.  
41καὶ ἀναβοήσας φωνῇ μεγάλῃ εἶπεν Μέγας εἶ, κύριε ὁ θεὸς τοῦ Δανιηλ, καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν πλὴν σοῦ ἄλλος. And the king shouted with a loud voice, "Thou art great, O Lord God of Daniel, and there is no other besides thee."  
42καὶ ἀνέσπασεν αὐτόν, τοὺς δὲ αἰτίους τῆς ἀπωλείας αὐτοῦ ἐνέβαλεν εἰς τὸν λάκκον, καὶ κατεβρώθησαν παραχρῆμα ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ. And he pulled Daniel out, and threw into the den the men who had attempted his destruction, and they were devoured immediately before his eyes.  
    | Bel (Theodotion): 1 |  

Notes:

The Old Testament in Greek is Rahlf's LXX available in Word format at the Tyndale website, adapted to database format.
The alternative readings of the LXX - Judges (Alexandrinus), Daniel, Susanna & Bel (LXX received text), and Tobit (Sinaiticus [not printed in Swete]) as separate book references so that they can be viewed as an alternative text in parallel with the primary text.
(I have reversed the Swete presentation for Daniel, Susanna, Bel by listing in the later Theodotion LXX text as the main text. )
The LXX cross references to the Hebrew Bible have been extensively revised using those set out in Swete's 'Old Testament in Greek' publications between 1894 and 1909, amended in part to agree with verses as printed in the Biblia Hebraica (1937 publication).
Some verse cross references in Swete's had to be amended to agree with the BHS verse numbering, and there may well be some mismatches that I haven't yet picked up on. (If you find any errors please e-mail me.)
Hebrew Bible has been adapted from the BHS in Word format at Tyndale.
The Septuagint in English ( translated by Sir Lancelot CL Brenton) - is used here only for the books of the Hebrew Bible.
The Revised Standard Version: This generally follows the Hebrew Bible for the canonical OT so I have included the RSV Aprocrypha for the Greek books not covered by Brenton.
Ecclesiasticus - Sirach Chs.30-36: The text of these chapters from 30.24 to 36.16, is disordered.
I have followed Swete's verse numbering for the greek text.
Also, the RSV verse numbering differs from the NRSV.
The NRSV appears to have followed Swete's numbering here, so I have re-ordered the RSV to agree with both the NRSV & Swete for these chapters.
The katapi New Study Bible reference section: displays links to parallel passages.
Passage headings are generally as printed in the Bible Society's "Good News Bible", 1976.
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© Paul Ingram 2006.